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Most people will have heard about land speed records being set in cars and aircrafts, but there is now a new vehicle on the scene and it has earned a coveted space in the Guinness World Records 2017 book for being the world’s Fastest monowheel motorcycle.

A monowheel motorcycle is one large wheel that revolves around a track, inside which the engine and rider are housed. The driver has to control the vehicle using careful control of throttle and perfect balance.

UK Monowheel Team and Kevin Scott recorded a staggering speed of 98.464 km/h (61.18 mph) on their incredible monowheel WarHorse, at Elvington Airfield in North Yorkshire, UK.

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The UK Monowheel Team consists of four engineers who are between 49 and 60 years old and they have been building innovative motorcycles since 2010.

To achieve this Guinness World Records title, the monowheel had to be run solely on power produced by its engine and the speed had to be timed from a flying start over a distance of no less than a quarter mile (402 metres).

One major challenge for monowheel riders is avoiding a "gerbil incident" - that is, accidentally looping around with the outer wheel instead of remaining seated at the base of the vehicle.

Kevin (pictured below) and the team are still tuning and developing "WarHorse" in case their record gets broken in the future, ‘but at the moment we’re just enjoying being Guinness World Records title holders,” he says.

Previously the fastest monowheel motorcycle reached a speed of 91.7 km/h (57 mph) and was achieved by Kerry McLean (USA) – who is considered a pioneer in this vehicle category – at Irwindale Speedway, California, USA, in 2001.

This record and thousands of others appear in the new Guinness World Records 2017 Edition which is out now priced at £20 in the UK and $28.95 in the US.

The Guinness World Records Gamer’s Edition 2017 is also available now for £9.99 UK and $14.99 US.